Public Sector: Portland wins brief with Africa group

The APP was established after the 2007 Gleneagles summit to encourage
world leaders to honour commitments to Africa, and to support African
countries' efforts to reform. It includes among its members former UK
prime minister Tony Blair and Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad
Yunus.

Portland's international affairs unit has been retained by the APP to
provide strategic advice and worldwide implementation for the panel's
international comms in 2009.

The agency's head of international affairs Toby Orr said: '2009 will be
a critical year to keep world leaders' focus on Africa. With the impact
of the credit crunch at home, it's vital we don't lose sight of the
commitments made abroad.'

The international affairs unit was launched 12 months ago and is also
working for the Mo Ibrahim Foundation - a body that promotes African
leadership.

The APP is partly funded by the Department for International Development
and receives a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

It is at the forefront of efforts to highlight the implications of the
current financial crisis for the continent's emerging economies. During
the next year, Portland will support the APP's work to see that Africa's
case remains on the agenda of the G8 and G20. The UK office will be
supported by Portland's partners in Brussels, Tokyo and Washington.

This brief follows an initial project Portland handled for the APP in
the summer, when the agency supported the launch of the panel's 2008
State of Africa report.

The G8-wide comms campaign to support this launch, conducted on the eve
of the Hokkaido Summit, raised awareness of the $40bn shortfall
in aid pledged by the G8 nations to Africa, as well as highlighting the
need to tackle the food crisis in Africa.